A man charged with murdering an elderly couple and sexually assaulting their two year old grandchild had been released from prison just hours earlier after serving time for a similar attack.

Jerry Active, 24, broke in to the house where Touch Chea, 71, and his wife, Sorn Sreap, 73, were babysitting their granddaughter and allegedly beat the couple to death and raped the little girl.

The toddler's parents returned to their home in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday night to find Active naked in their bedroom with the two-year-old.

Suspect: Jerry Andrew Active tries to shield his face during his arraignment on charges of murder and sexual assault of a minor in the Anchorage jail court on Sunday

Active was arrested about a block from an apartment where the bodies of Sorn Sreap and Touch Chea were found dead on Saturday night by their granddaughter, who had returned from a trip to a movie with her husband

A few hours earlier Active had been
released on probation after serving part of a seven-year sentence for a similar crime committed in 2009.

Active broke into a
house and sexually assaulted an 11-year-old while her parents were
asleep, before attacking three members of the family.

Share this article

The 24-year-old was convicted for the attack
in Dillingham, Alaska, after a guilty plea but it has not been made
clear why Active was allowed on probation.

He was first released on the case on
October 2, 2011, but violated probation and was sent back to prison two
days later, according to records.

Since then, he has been in and out of prison after committing other probation violations.

Registered sex offender: Active spent time in jail in 2010 and 2011 for a similar attack four years ago and was on probation

Victims Mr Chea and Ms Sreap both suffered significant blunt force injuries, and police said both Sreap and the toddler were raped.

Officers arrested Active as he fled the east Anchorage homicide scene wearing just his boxer shorts.

The registered sex offender has been charged with first and second-degree murder, sexual assault and burglary, with bail set at $1.5 million.

Police said the younger couple, who
are in their twenties, went to a movie on Saturday night with their son and left
the two-year-old in the care of Chea and Sreap.

They returned shortly before 8pm and found the door locked from the inside by the chain, but were able to spot the body of one of their grandparents from outside.

The father told police he forced his way in through a window and found the bodies of Chea and Sreap before discovering a naked man in the bedroom with their daughter.

Scene: The victims were part of an extended family that lived in a ground-floor, east Anchorage apartment with their granddaughter and her husband

The mother called police and dispatchers said they heard screaming over the phone as the woman, who is pregnant, reported that a man had broken into her home and killed 73-year-old Ms Sreap.

The couple tried to apprehend Active but he was able to get away after a short struggle, Police Sergeant Slawomir Markiewicz said.

Officers found Active about a block away wearing nothing but his boxers.

'He did offer some resistance but he was arrested,' Markiewicz said.

The suspect apparently entered the apartment through a window, Markiewicz said.

The
two-year-old was taken to hospital for a forensic physical examination,
and it was discovered that she had also been physically assaulted.

She was taken to a hospital where she underwent surgery for her injuries.

Investigators were affected by the brutality and the ages of the victims, police department spokeswoman Anita Shell said.

'They said this was the worst thing they had ever seen in their lives, and these are seasoned detectives,' Shell said.

Accused: The registered sex offender was charged with first and second-degree murder, sexual assault and burglary

Merciless: Active entered the apartment through an open window and locked it from the inside so he could commit the horrific acts

Social media: Active had a number of menacing and ominous pictures on his MySpace account

Police Sergeant Markiewicz said that there are no indications that the victims were connected to the suspect.

'It doesn't appear that he knew them,' he said. 'It looks like a totally random act.'

The
victims were part of an extended family that lived in a ground-floor,
east Anchorage apartment with their granddaughter and her husband, who
are the parents of the toddler and her four-year-old brother.

The younger couple's 90-year-old great-grandmother also lives in the apartment and was at home during the incident.

Markiewicz said the case is unusual.

'It's certainly very rare to see this kind of violence - a complete stranger, sexually assaulting and murdering someone,' he said.

The bodies of Sreap and Chea were taken to the state medical examiner's office for autopsies.

Names of the toddler and her parents were withheld.

The double homicide happened Anchorage, Alaska. Police said they were affected by the brutality and the ages of the victims

Advertisement

Share or comment on this article:

Jerry Active killed elderly couple and raped 2-year-old just HOURS after being released from prison